Valorant
Valorant
Valorant map Split callouts you must know in 2023
Fariha Bhatti
Split is returning to Valorant with its FPS-friendly layout that splits two spacious sites with a congested middle area, and learning proper callouts is a great way to get familiar with the map. Valorant maps are unique and skirt away from a typical FPS map design. Riot adds a twist in some maps with gimmicks, and others are entirely different from your traditional 5v5 shooter map. However, Split is on …
Valorant
Is the 9-3 curse real? Valorant devs finally weigh in
Fariha Bhatti
Not all community-made concepts are rooted in myths. The infamous 9-3 curse has happened so often that it seems too much of a coincidence. A Valorant developer has finally weighed in. Riot Games’ tactical shooter requires aim precision, game knowledge, and experience. But these skills hold no account in front of a good old jinx. Valorant players firmly believe in a 9-3 switch, a curse known to turn the tables despite …
Valorant
Here’s how Messi’s Phantom skin would look in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
The FIFA World Cup fever is still on days after the nail-biting final, and Valorant fans are also bubbling with ideas. This fan-made Messi Phantom skin is the stuff of dreams. Valorant is known for its cut-throat gameplay and competition, but many are hooked to Riot’s FPS for the skins. The developer has rolled out some exuberant bundles, and players continue to find new ways to personalize them. One Valorant …
Valorant
Valorant pro crosshair codes you should be using in 2023
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant is a character-based game, but shooting is still the bread and butter of Riot’s FPS. So, you must pick the best crosshair codes for your rank journey in 2023. Custom and personalized crosshairs are best. Each Valorant player has different needs and styles, so copying someone else’s settings may not work for you. But if you’re just beginning, copying a professional player’s crosshair is entirely OK. Dozens of the …
Valorant
Valorant map 9 could resemble Bind, here are images, teasers
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant map nine, codenamed Jam, is only a month away from release if speculations are correct. Teasers and leaks are also reaching a fever pitch. Here’s everything new we know about the upcoming location. Riot Games recently announced that Bind and Breeze would leave the active map pool in episode six. Since Riot had settled on magic number seven for the collection, removing two maps means a new location is …
Valorant
How to get Pocket Sage gun buddy for free in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant players can now get a cute Pocket Sage gun buddy by simply linking their Riot account to their Game Pass. Riot Games keep finding new ways to reward Valorant players. Whether it is Prime Gaming items or in-game events, there are plenty of ways players can bag free rewards. This time, Riot has lifted the curtain on a Valorant gun buddy for Game Pass members. Those who link the …
Valorant
Valorant game mode Swiftplay is now a shorter alternative to unrated
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant game modes are getting faster. You can now squeeze in a quick unranked game through Swiftplay that lasts for a maximum of eight rounds. Are you obsessed with Valorant but work doesn’t allow playing long and tedious unrated games? Fret not. Riot is introducing Swiftplay for busy players who like to hop in on the fun. It’s quick, cut-throat, and entertaining. The new game will join existing modes in …
Valorant
Here is how you can gain more XP in Valorant during holidays
Fariha Bhatti
Winter holidays are upon us, but not much will change for sweaty Valorant rank demons. Instead, players can bag more XP during the holidays in Valorant. The Christmas season is the time for family and friends. But it’s also a perfect opportunity for busy players to get their rank grind back on. Riot Games is making the battle pass climb easier for the returning players by granting extra XP, but …
Valorant SMG Spectre quietly nerfed in patch 5.12
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
While everyone was busy stressing over the upcoming protocol-wide nerfs, Riot Games quietly nerfed the eco-round power weapon in Valorant, Spectre. Patch 5.12 was a big one. It included nerfs and buffs for 15 Valorant agents and meta-shaking changes for Chamber. Leakers had dug out almost everything packed in the patch, but one small detail had slipped from keen-eyed players. Riot has quietly nerfed Valorant’s most-valuable thrift weapon, Spectre. Spectre …
Valorant streamer hits Immortal with only Classic, wows community
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
As if hitting Immortal wasn’t already a tall order, this Valorant streamer did it using only Classic. Immortal is the highest Valorant rank, accommodating only the top cream in the game. However, acquiring the red badge is no walk in the park. You must have a crisp aim, communication skills, ability usage, and an equally skilled duo. Getting to Immortal by the book is no easy feat, but this streamer …
Valorant’s latest Christmas bundle has an icy twist
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot is getting into the Christmas spirit with a new Valorant bundle Cryostasis, skins that freeze with ice-cold shots. Valorant developer rolls out a new bundle for the holiday season, but it’s mostly a letdown for skin enthusiasts. The green-screen glass bundles are too repetitive for the players, and they make sure the developer knows their likes and dislikes. So, Riot has finally taken notice, delivering Cryostasis. A unique skin …
Valorant map Split returns, here’s everything we know about it
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Split is returning in Valorant episode 6 act 1, replacing the dusty battleground of Bind. Here’s everything you need to know to win on Split. Split was part of Project: A and was easily one of the best maps. However, it had a surprisingly low play rate in pro games. So, when Riot rolled out Pearl, one had to go to accommodate the eighth map, and Split took the fall. …
Valorant patch 5.12 will change almost all agents
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Chamber isn’t the only Valorant agent getting tweaks. Riot Games is targeting almost the entire pack in the upcoming 5.12 patch update. Valorant’s most OP character, Chamber, recently landed under Riot’s ban hammer after months of player complaints. Now that the French Sentinel has been nerfed for good, Riot is diverting focus toward other agents. Credible leakers have dug out valuable information regarding upcoming balances, and Valorant players are shocked. …
Split returns, Bind and Breeze out from Valorant 6.0 map pool
William Davis
Valorant
Fan-favorite Valorant map Split is back in the competitive pool, but fans of Bind and Breeze are paying a heavy price for it. In an update on December 2, 2022, Riot Games announced several upcoming changes for the Valorant map pool. The list of changes coming in January 2023 includes the readdition of Split to the competitive pool, though the new version of the map will include several differences from …
Who is Juliano? The best female pro in Valorant and CSGO
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
VCT Game Changers was a defining moment of 2022 for women in gaming worldwide. About 230K people watched the final when Julia “juliano” Kiran spearheaded G2 Gozen to the win. The FPS gaming genre always had a surplus of women aiming to compete at a higher level, but a lack of support and tournaments held them back. Still, some pro players were stubborn to take every shot at competing, and Juliano was …
What is a Valorant badge and how do you get it?
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant players can now flex their best agents and K/D on social media accounts. Here’s how you can create your custom Valorant badge. After each game, Riot tallies your overall performance and posts stats in bold. However, there was no easy way to get official ratings on each agent in the game besides third-party websites. Now, players can check out their individual stats and flex them on their friends and …
Valorant fans left with raised eyebrows over Chamber nerfs
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant agent Chamber is being nerfed once again, but some think the developer may have accidentally buffed the French Sentinel. Chamber has singlehandedly been wrecking the Valorant meta with his overpowered toolkit. Due to him, other agents have also been feeling out of place. Patch 5.12 finally tackles the issue, but his TP changes have raised eyebrows. The changes have gone live in PBE and will arrive worldwide on December …
Here’s when the next Valorant Night. Market returns
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
It’s time for broke Valorant players to stack up their inventories—the Night. Market is returning! Riot Games regularly rolls out extravagant, expensive bundles for skin collectors. Some are affordable, but others are just outrageous pricey. However, the developer is not counting out the regular players who like to enjoy a nice gun skin. Night. Market is Riot’s way of letting all players in on the fun. The Valorant thrift store …
Youngest Valorant Radiant player banned on Twitch
Nicholas James
Valorant
The youngest Valorant Radiant player has been banned on Twitch, and fans are split on whether or not the ban is justified. A Brazilian 11-year-old boy named Lucas is likely the youngest Valorant Radiant player, and streams his gameplay on Twitch. However, he has recently been banned on Twitch for breaking Twitch’s terms of service when it comes to the minimum age for someone to possess a Twitch account. Now, …
Killjoy can self-boost on Ascent and it’s too OP
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Boosting isn’t an intentional mechanic in Valorant, but some players are too good at tinkering with toolkits that they can get to odd spots. Killjoy can self-boost using her Turret on Ascent. The jolly German, Killjoy, isn’t developed for aggressive plays or tricks. Her simple toolkit is perfect for locking areas for safety. Killjoy must stay alive for her kit to work effectively, which is why it’s best if she …
Riot Games has long looked to expand its footprint beyond the success of popular MOBA League of Legends, and one of its biggest successes to date in this regard is the tactical shooter, Valorant. Blending traditional first-person shooter elements with unique and flashy hero abilities, Valorant seeks to combine the best attributes of tactical shooters and hero shooters into one cohesive experience.
Based on player feedback, the game has largely succeeded in accomplishing those aims. It’s not an easy balance, and it’s one that is arguably still tenuous, but Riot Games seems to be doing as good a job of it as most fans have hoped for.
What type of game is Valorant?
Valorant is a first-person shooter that represents a unique blend of the tactical shooter and hero shooter subgenres. There are some games that represent similar gameplay elements, but not many that offer the exact experience that Valorant puts forward to players.
The tactical shooter genre is often considered to have been defined by the release of the original Counter-Strike, a multiplayer mod for famed single-player PC title Half-Life that later became a standalone game of its own. While most multiplayer FPS games to that point emphasized prolonged battles between opposing players zipping around the game at high speeds, Counter-Strike slowed things down significantly and made players much more susceptible to each other’s firepower, requiring players to take a more tactical approach to play.
That slower and more tactical approach, combined with the lightning-quick nature of action when it does occur, proved reliably popular. That popularity can still be seen today with the ongoing success enjoyed by the Counter-Strike franchise, and it’s this gameplay type that represents the core of Valorant. It’s no accident that former Counter-Strike developers were drafted by Riot Games to help create Valorant during the game’s formative stages.
What differentiates Valorant from CS and other tactical shooters it that each of the game’s characters, called agents, wield a number of unique abilities. Some are typical for tactical shooters, like flashbangs and smokes, while others are wildly different, such as an ability that transports two players to an isolated dueling arena for its duration.
These agent abilities are more reminiscent of hero shooters, a subgenre that arguably got its start with the Team Fortress games but has best been popularized by Blizzard title Overwatch. The abilities, combind with the tactical considerations that are at the core of Valorant, separate it from most any other FPS experience available for play.
How does Valorant esports work?
Like many other popular competitive shooters, Valorant does have a thriving esports scene. That scene is differentiated by the way it’s run and controlled by developer and publisher Riot Games. Riot uses a model based on the success of its League of Legends esports scene, which sees the globe’s competitive players and team’s separated by region. These regions play out their own competitions in their sections of the world before coming together at regular intervals for international tournaments featuring the best teams from each individual region.
While League of Legends once boasted a variety of regions and regional types, Riot sought to simplify that model when setting up esports for Valorant. The game has only a handful of major regions, and these regions are held as largely equitable, each sending their best teams to international events leading up to the year-end VALORANT Champions event.
